Morning Open Thread is a daily, copyrighted post from a host of editors and guest writers. We support our community, invite and share ideas, and encourage thoughtful, respectful dialogue in an open forum.
I’ve come to think of this post as one where you come for the music and stay for the conversation—so feel free to drop a note. The diarist gets to sleep in if she so desires and can show up long after the post is published. So you know, it's a feature, not a bug.
Join us, please.
Good morning everyone.
This morning and the following three will be spent on the fringes of art making—starting with the combining of pigment and oil then moving to the intricacies of the brush stroke itself.
Even if you’re not ‘into” oil paintings, you might enjoy this video. Did you know that Mummy Brown isn’t what it used to be because the industry ran through all the mummies available for grinding up into pigment? The flesh of mummies would be ground and mixed with white pitch and myrrh to make the color also known as Egyptian Brown. Or that Royal Blue—the most sought after color in Renaissance paintings—was originally made from the semiprecious lapis lazuli and was worth more than five times its weight in gold? And that Carmine, until recently, was made from the blood of female scale insects?
Every color has a history and the Business Insider video below is a short introduction to that record. If you’re interested, I would highly recommend Color: A Natural History of the Palette by Victoria Finlay—a fascinating and seductive read.
I hope you enjoy your day and appreciate the color in your life.
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Bob Marley & The Wailers
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Grab your coffee or tea and join us, please.
What's on your mind this morning?